Caprese Tartlets

Yuzu is Watching December Boys Daniel Radcliffe, Lee Cormie, Christian Byers, James Fraser

My department had a holiday pot luck today at work. If I ever bring food to share with coworkers, it's almost always something sweet. But I opted for the savory this time because I figured there'd be a lot of sweets already. We've been receiving baskets of muffins, cookies, chocolate and fruit from various vendors. I'm kind'a sugar'd out...and it's not even Christmas yet!

I woke up early this morning to bake something I came up with while I was grocery shopping over the weekend. I knew I wanted to make something very simple with very few ingredients. And, well, here's my contribution to the department pot luck.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

I used crescent-roll dough to create little shells and filled them with shredded mozzarella, diced tomatoes, fresh basil and freshly ground pepper. I baked them in a mini-muffin pan for eight minutes in a 375ºF oven, and the result was four dozen little caprese-style tartlets.* Kind of a nice festive snack for the holidays!

*Or you can call them what they look like — mini pizzas.

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Pumpkin Cake

Yuzu is Watching Knocked Up Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday last week! Did you eat good? I didn't eat as much as I expected to. The food was great, of course, but I guess I just wasn't in the mood for stuffing myself.

For dessert, my mom baked her traditional walnut cherry cheese delight (which is basically a yummy cheesecake), and I baked something new. Pumpkin cake! Well, pumpkin bars, depending on how you slice it. I call it cake because it wasn't dense enough to be a bar, and it was so moist and delicious, it's pretty much like a cake!

©2007 Yuzu Eats

The recipe for the cake/bar portion is courtesy of Food Network, with minor tweaking by yours truly. The frosting recipe is for my most favorite cream cheese frosting in the world. Try it — it's easy!

Pumpkin Cake
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined, and batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 x 9" baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.


Frosting:
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/8 tsp. salt
3¾ cups sifted confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter, cheese and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar gradually until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Spread onto cooled cake.

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Mac 'N' Cheese Soup

Yuzu is Listening To Undiscovered James Morrison see related

I left work after only a few hours today because I was feeling kind'a queasy all morning. I hadn't eaten anything for breakfast because I just wasn't feeling hungry, but I munched on half a muffin while I was at work. As soon as I got home I started making myself some soup. I normally make chicken noodle soup when I feel crappy, but I wanted something else. Something that's been a comfort food since I was a kid — mac 'n' cheese! I made a bit of a grown-up version in the form of a veggie mac 'n' cheese soup.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

If you're interested in a 'soupy' soup, this one isn't it. It's got a creamy texture, so it's kind of a cross between macaroni soup and traditional baked mac 'n' cheese.

Mac 'N' Cheese Soup
1 can (14 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup small elbow macaroni
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¾ cup nonfat milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
ground black pepper (optional)

In a medium saucepan on high heat, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add macaroni, stir and let simmer over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Add broccoli and carrots and cook another 5 minutes.

Mix flour and milk together in a bowl until it's well combined. Slowly add it to the macaroni mixture, stirring until it's got a relatively thick consistency. Add small amounts of cheese at a time, stirring it around until it's melted, until all the cheese has been added. Season with ground black pepper if desired.

Serves two.

I ate the soup out of my Le Creuset petit casserole

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Shrimp, Tomato & Basil Pasta

I hadn't really cooked in a while. We've been ordering a lot of takeout at home. Quick, yes. But it can really add up. Yesterday my sister and I went to the grocery store so I could buy some fresh ingredients to make a light pasta for the family. I looked through my old Everyday Food magazines because I recall seeing a recipe in one of them that I'd wanted to try. It was for shrimp, tomato and basil pasta. And I loves me some shrimp, tomatoes and basil.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

I do enjoy a good, hearty pasta dish. But I also like to eat light pasta dishes once in a while. This one definitely tastes light, but surprisingly it sates the appetite just fine. Here's the recipe, with a few minor adjustments.

Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Pasta (from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart)
1½ lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails removed
course salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb. linguine
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil over high heat. Add shrimp and cook until opaque, turning occassionally (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

To make the sauce, add remaining 2 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil and the minced garlic to the same skillet. Cook the garlic over medium heat for about 30 seconds, until they're fragrant. Add canned tomatoes, with the juice. Add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occassionally, until the tomatoes have softened and are saucy. Remove from heat and add cherry tomatoes.

While the sauce is simmering, cook linguine in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. When cooked, drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add sauce, shrimp and basil. Season with a little salt & pepper and toss. Garnish with additional torn basil leaves, if desired. Top with freshly grated Parmesan if you like. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

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Best Yuzu Sugar Cookies Ever

Yuzu is Watching The Office - The Complete Collection BBC Edition (First and Second Series Plus Special) see related

I've only baked a few desserts so far with yuzus, but this is my favorite thus far. My mom wanted me to bake cookies yesterday, so I searched for a recipe that called for ingredients my parents had in their pantry. ;) I also had a couple yuzus from my yuzu tree that I wanted to use, and I was able to incorporate them into a recipe to make sugar cookies with a nice citrus flavor.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

I'm very happy the way these cookies turned out, because they weren't too sweet, and the yuzu flavor wasn't overpowering the cookie. The cookies are moist & chewy, with crispy edges. My parents liked them a lot, so that spells success to me! Here's the recipe for anyone who wants to try these out. You can substitute lemon for yuzu, as I know how difficult it is to have actual yuzus on hand.

Best Yuzu Sugar Cookies Ever
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
¼ cup light-brown sugar, packed
zest of 2 yuzus (approx. 1 tbsp.)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed yuzu juice

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Using a freestanding mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix sugar, brown sugar and zest. Add butter until mixture is light & fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the yuzu juice. Slowly add the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Scoop 1½" balls of dough onto baking sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand, and sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar on top. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about a minute. Then move cookies to cooling rack.

Makes 30 cookies, 3" (7½ cm) in diameter.

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Pepper-Parmesan Bread

Yuzu is Watching Pride & Prejudice see related

I was home all weekend, recovering from my cold last week. I knitted, tried to get back into crochet again, and watched some movies on the telly. Amidst all the DVD- and movie-watching (I watched the entire BBC series of The Office on DVD, plus some movies on AMC, VH1 and Disney Channel), I decided to bake some bread and make the house smell delicious. I read an easy recipe in Los Angeles Times last week for a pepper-parmesan bread. I ♥ pepper (and cheese, for that matter), so I tried out this bread to see how it'd turn out.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

The obligatory in-the-oven photo


Look at the nice texture and golden color

I used a peppercorn medley (black, green, white and pink peppercorns) instead of just the plain black ones. Some people might find the pepper taste in this bread too strong, but I think it had a nice kick to it. If you want, you could probably lessen the amount of pepper if you want a more subtle taste.

Pepper-Parmesan Bread (from Los Angeles Times)
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 cups flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees. Butter 9” x 5” loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper, and mix with a whisk until thoroughly combined; make sure the pepper is well distributed. Stir in the cheese. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk and melted butter, and mix lightly. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and cheese. Mix with a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are well moistened. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before turning out of the pan.

Slice it up and spread some butter on that baby!

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The Yuzu Tree Giveth

Yuzu is Watching The Da Vinci Code see related

My blog has been lacking in posts lately because (a) I was on vacation in Chicago for a while, and (b) I've been bitten by a cold bug that's left me too lazy to post anything in the last week. But I return with a yummy yuzu entry! My yuzu tree has been blooming ever so wonderfully, and I picked one of its fruits to make a citrusy dessert which I brought to Thanksgiving dinner a couple weeks ago.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

I took a simple lemon bar recipe and tweaked it so they'd yield yuzu bars instead. I'm not really a fan of lemon bars, because they taste too eggy to me. But I know other people love lemon bars, so I baked these for them. ♥ This recipe will produce yuzu bars that burst with a lot of citrus flavor. If you prefer a more subtle citrus taste, switch all the 'yuzu' parts in the recipe with lemon and decrease the amount of lemon juice to 6 teaspoons.

Yuzu Bars
Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups flour
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine ingredients and mix well. Press mixture in 9" x 13" greased glass pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Filling:
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
2 cups granulated sugar
7 tsp. yuzu juice (bottled yuzu juice will suffice as well)
zest of 1 yuzu

Combine flour and sugar; mix in beaten eggs, yuzu juice and zest. Pour onto slightly cooled crust. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

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Bread Balls Stuffed w/Cheese

I baked bread again over the weekend. I never thought baking bread would be addicting, but it's starting to become an obsession for me.

I wanted to bake a snack bread for my family to eat in between lunch and dinner. 'Cause a few hours after lunch passes, everyone's hungry. I decided to make little balls stuffed with fresh mozzarella.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The dough getting baked in the oven

These are really easy to make, and they take about an hour from start to finish. Here's the recipe that I came up with.

Mozzarella Balls
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
1½ tbsp. butter or margarine
1 generous tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 egg
2 tbsp. jarred tomato sauce
1/3 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped into ½" cubes

In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (105°F to 115°F). Stir in sugar, salt, warm milk, melted butter and 1½ cups of the flour. Add the basil, thyme and garlic, and incorporate. Stir in the egg. Then stir in the remaining cup of flour.

On a lightly floured cutting board or countertop, knead the dough for 5 minutes until it's smooth. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Split the dough into 16 even sections. Do all of the following steps for each section: (1) flatten dough with your hands to make sort of like a mini pizza dough ; (2) put a drop of tomato sauce in the center of the flattened dough and spread it around (be careful not to let it spread to the edges, though); (3) place a few mozzarella cubes in the center; (4) then fold the edges of the flattened dough circle over the center to hold the cheese inside, and pinch it shut.

Place all 16 balls onto the baking sheet (pinched side down), about 2 inches apart. Brush all over with melted butter and pop them in the oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes (could be slightly less, depending on your oven), or until golden brown.

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I Baked Turtle Bread

Yuzu is Watching Nacho Libre see related

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to eat bread. But I'm not known to bake it. I bake cookies and mini cakes, but not bread. Until now! I found a few recipes for turtle bread on the Internet and tried the one that I thought looked the best.

I shaped the dough and let it rise...


...then cut out a criss-cross 'shell' and popped it in the oven.

This is a fun recipe to make with kids. You can have them help you shape the turtle's body parts and then assemble them. It feeds quite a lot too. My bread came out to be 9" (23 cm) from head to tail and 3" (7½ cm) high.

Turtle Bread
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ cup warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 egg
2 raisins

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (105°F to 115°F). Stir in sugar, salt, warm milk, melted butter and 1½ cups of the flour. Stir in the egg. Stir in the remaining cup of flour.

Lightly flour a large cutting board, or your clean kitchen counter, and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it's smooth and springs back when you poke it. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape a 2½" piece of dough into a ball for the turtle’s head. Shape 4 walnut-sized pieces of dough into balls for the feet. Shape a half-walnut-sized piece of dough into a tail. Shape the remaining dough into a big ball for the turtle's body. Place all 7 pieces onto the baking sheet, forming the turtle's shape. Attach the head, feet and tail by placing one end of each under edge of body to secure. Use your pinky finger to poke little holes into the turtle's head and press raisins in for the eyes. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400°F. Using a serrated knife, make a ¼"-deep circular cut around the top edge of the body. Make criss-cross cuts in the center to look like a turtle's shell. Bake for about 20 to 25, or until golden brown. Serves 4 to 6.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

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Yuzu Biscuits

Experimenting in the kitchen again! I came up with a recipe for some yuzu biscuits. It's basically like shortbread, but with a nice hint of citrus flavor. They go well with a cup of hot tea or a glass of milk. Mmm!

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The recipe calls for yuzu juice. Since it's nearly impossible to find fresh yuzus anywhere but Japan, bottled yuzu juice is perfectly fine. You can buy it at a Japanese market or gourmet grocery store.

Yuzu Biscuits
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tbsp. yuzu juice
1 tsp. citrus zest (lemon or lime is fine if you have no yuzus)
½ tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
yellow food coloring (optional)

Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg until light & fluffy. Mix in the flour, yuzu juice, citrus zest, baking powder and salt. If you wish, add a few drops of yellow food coloring and incorporate into the dough to give it a vibrant yellow color. Wrap the dough in wax paper, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lay dough on a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it's ¼" thick. Use a floured cookie cutter of any shape you want to cut the dough. Placed the cut pieces onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are very light golden brown. Remove cookies from cookie sheets and place on cooling rack. Eat with tea. :)

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Ravioli Dolci

Yuzu is Watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl see related

It's been mad hot in southern California this past week. Not exactly the kind of weather that's conducive to baking. But I felt like baking anyway. I ended up creating a cookie that my family enjoyed with coffee & tea. :) They're butter cookies that are shaped like ravioli! And they're filled with yumminess too.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The recipe calls for very basic ingredients. The jam can be any flavor you like. The assembly can take some time if you're not used to making rolled cookies. I'm still very much a novice in this area, but the cookies came out decent.

Ravioli Dolci
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 cup apricot jam (or jam of your choice)

Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Switch to a lower speed and slowly add the flour mixture until all the ingredients are combined to form a soft dough. Split the dough in half, wrap each in wax paper, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so it becomes a bit firm.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lay one piece of dough on a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 7 x 10½" rectangle. Use a knife to score the dough into 24 1¾" squares (don't actually cut through dough). Place ¼ teaspoon of jam into the center of each square. Take the second piece of dough and, working on top of floured wax paper, roll it into another 7 x 10½" rectangle. Lift the dough rectangle on the wax paper and flip the dough onto the other dough rectangle (with the jam on it). You'll be able to see the little bumps underneath the dough where you scooped the jam. Use a fluted pastry wheel to cut into 24 1¾" squares. You should have what looks like a sheet of uncooked ravioli. Place each 'ravioli' onto two ungreased cookie sheets, at least 1 inch apart. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the fluted edges are light golden brown, but the tops are still fairly light. Remove cookies from cookie sheets and place on cooling rack. Use a sieve to garnish cookies with powdered sugar.

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I ♡ Carrot Flowers

Yuzu is Listening To Under the Iron Sea Keane see related

I haven't used my Leaflet box in a while, so I decided to break it out and fill it up with delicious food. I made this food for dinner, but there was a small bit left over — the perfect amount to fit into this bento box!

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Breaded chicken tenders with mini carrot
flowers on a bed of fresh basil leaves


Seasoned roasted red potatoes


Crunchy green beans seasoned with garlic salt, pepper
and melted butter...with more mini carrot flowers

Here are the recipes. As with a lot of the cooking I do, I don't really measure things exactly, so just kind of eyeball it if you try these recipes:

Chicken Tenders
1 lb. chicken breast tenders
¾ cup vegetable oil (I used 100% cholesterol-free canola oil)
1 large egg
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 to 1½ cups bread crumbs

Heat up a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil to the hot pan, and let it heat up. Beat egg in a small bowl. Season chicken tenders with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dip each tender into the egg wash, and then roll each one in bread crumbs, making sure to coat them completely. Place the breaded tenders into the hot oil, cooking each side for about 1-2 minutes. Since chicken tenders are thinly sliced, you don't need to cook them for very long. When they're a deep golden brown, they're done. Drain and serve.


Roasted Potatoes
6 or 7 medium-sized red potatoes
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
cracked black pepper
garlic salt
dried herbs (parsley, basil, oregano)

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Rinse the potatoes and chop them into ¾-inch cubes. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil into a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Place the chopped potatoes into the pan. Sprinkle cracked black pepper, garlic salt and dried herbs over the potatoes, then use your hands to rub the seasoning onto the potatoes, lightly 'tossing' them around the pan so that the other sides get coated with the olive oil. Put 'em in the oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes until the edges of the potatoes look nice 'n' brown.


Crunchy Green Beans
½ lb. fresh green beans
freshly ground black pepper
garlic salt
1 tbsp. butter or margarine (optional)

Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water, and bring it to a boil. Snap (or chop) the tips off the green beans. I chopped them in half to fit into my bento box, but I prefer them full-length. Boil them for about 7-8 minutes. Drain immediately and place the beans into a large bowl of cold water. This will stop the cooking process and allow the beans to remain crunchy, yet cooked. After a minute or two, remove from the cold water. The beans should still be slightly warm. Sprinkle some garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper on them. For more flavor, add the butter and let it melt over the beans.

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Mother's Day Italian

I hope you mothers out there had a fabulous Mother's Day yesterday. We went to church in the morning, ate Japanese food for lunch, shopped at the mall, and then I cooked dinner for everyone. I'm really digging on Italian grub (as you can tell from my last post), so I made some more Italian food for Mother's Day.

Look at these vine-ripe tomatoes – gorgeous!

Chicken Parmesan served with lemon spaghetti
and fresh greens w/balsamic vinaigrette

©2006 Yuzu Eats

I know chicken Parmesan is usually breaded, but...I don't know how to do that. ;P And this way seemed healthier for some reason. The recipes can be found here at my Live Journal.

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Yummy Farfalle

I haven't been making any pretty bentos lately, frankly because I've been kind'a busy. But I have had a chance to cook for dinner recently. Below is an Italian dish I made last week using farfalle (Italian for "butterflies") pasta. I didn't really have anything specific in mind while I was making it. I kind of just threw some ingredients together, and viola!

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Here's the quasi-recipe. I didn't measure everything exactly, so these are approximations:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 14½-oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 tsp. chopped basil
¼ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. rosemary
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
ground red cayenne pepper, to taste
1 tsp. white wine
1 16-oz. package of farfalle pasta

½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil (and add'l to prevent pasta from sticking)In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped onions to the skillet and cook until slightly brown. Add the lean ground beef and keep stirring until the meat is cooked all the way through (no red!). There should be very little to no fat drippings if you use lean beef, but drain if necessary. Once meat is done, add the canned tomatoes and blend well. Toss in the basil, thyme and rosemary. Sprinkle a little bit of ground black pepper and red cayenne pepper (just enough to to add a little bit of a 'kick'). Then add the white wine. Keep stirring so that the herbs will distribute evenly throughout the sauce. It will be slightly thin. Let simmer over a low heat so that some of the 'juice' will evaporate.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add several drops of extra virgin olive oil to the water and add the pasta. Cook according to the directions written on the package. Drain and serve immediately with meat sauce on top. Garnish with parsley, if desired. I used regular parsley here because I didn't have any flatleaf parsley on hand.

Serves 4 healthy portions.

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Jell-O Cheesecake

One of my favorite Hawaiian desserts is Jell-O® cheesecake. I'd only eaten it at Hawaiian restaurants, and I wanted to enjoy it at home. Plus I wanted to bake something for my family, and I decided to take a break from cupcakes and cookies. ;) So here's the Jell-O cheesecake I made:

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The slice is kind'a messy, but it was hard to cut a pretty piece from the pan! I guess the point is that it tastes good, right?

½ cup butter (1 stick)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 box lemon Jell-O® (3 oz.)
1 cup hot water
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can chilled evaporated milk (12 oz.)
1 box raspberry Jell-O® (3 oz.)

Beat butter and brown sugar, then add flour and walnuts. Press into greased 9x13" pan and bake at 400°F for about 10-15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Dissolve lemon Jell-O with hot water. Let thicken a bit in the refrigerator. Blend the sugar and cream cheese. Add the slightly thickened Jell-O. Whip the evaporated milk with wire whisk. Blend in the Jell-O/cream cheese mixture. Pour into pan over cooled crust. Chill at least 6 hours to allow it to set.

Follow directions on the box for raspberry Jell-O. Chill in refrigerator until slightly thickened and then spoon it into the pan over the chilled cheesecake. Chill cake until raspberry Jell-O is firm.

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Shrimp Calzones

I'd never made calzones before, so I thought I'd give 'em a try. I was a bit nervous about making pizza dough. I think the last time I attempted to make bread was when I was in elementary school, and we had to bake bread with different types of yeast for a science project. If I recall correctly, the bread didn't turn out so well. I'm happy to report that this time the result was much better.

The pizza dough as I kneaded it

The pinched edges on the calzones came out kind'a nice

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The inside was stuffed with shrimp in a homemade white-wine tomato sauce

Here is the pizza dough recipe, which I borrowed from Giada De Laurentiis:

½ cup warm water (105-110ºF)
2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for bowl

Mix the warm water and yeast in a small bowl to blend. Let stand until the yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Mix the flour and salt to blend, then blend in the oil. Add the yeast mixture and blend until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm area, away from drafts, until the dough doubles in volume (about 1 hour). Punch down the dough and form into ball. The dough can be used immediately or stored airtight in the refrigerator for 1 day.

I served these to my family for lunch, and they liked them. I think that's the best part of cooking — seeing others enjoy what you made for them. :) Gives me the warm fuzzies.

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Zuppa Toscana

My dad made Zuppa Toscana for dinner last night. We'd never had this soup at home (usually at Italian restaurants). I like my dad's better than the restaurant kind. =) It was so super-yummy, I had a giant bowl of it!

©2005 Yuzu Eats

Zuppa Toscana
16 oz. (1 pkg.) spicy or smoked sausage
2 potatoes (cut into ¼-inch cubes)
¾ cup chopped onion
6 slices of bacon
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups kale – washed, dried and shredded
2 tbsp. chicken soup base
1 qt. water
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 300ºF (150º C). Place sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut at an angle into ½-inch slices. Place onions and bacon slices in a large saucepan, and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Remove bacon and crumble. Set aside. Add garlic to the onions, and cook for 1 additional minute. Add chicken-soup base, water and potatoes. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale and heavy whipping cream. Simmer for several minutes.

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